Once again that feeling of, "I have to get there as soon as I can."

I'll never be able to relax when Nastia goes out driving, well at least for the next twenty years, I won’t. She has had so many accidents, it's hard to believe. Teri counted them off to me on her fingers recently. She started on her left hand and I think she finished on her right. She hit a car pulling out of a parking spot in the bowling Alley. She hit the bowling alley building. In Pearl River when she was driving her sister's Taurus she rear ends the car in front of her. She put her car into gear on a steep hill with the car off and crashes into another car, shattering the back window on the Escape. She crashes into a guard rail when a bee gets into her car, that's more than three. I know there are more, but I'm just hi-lighting here. We can add another one to the list, if you haven't guessed.

I get out of work at 4:45 to go bowling in New City on Wednesdays. I am driving up the Palisades towards New City when I get a call from Nastia. I answer it and she is upset saying she's gotten into an accident. I tell her, "I'm on the way" and Hang up. I get into the left lane and start driving faster. That old familiar feeling has returned. That feeling that I needed to be at her side two minutes ago. Of course the car in front of me doesn't know I'm in a hurry, so they don't get out of my way. A small voice in the back of my head keeps saying, "If you get into an accident that will help no one." So I slow down and I try to calculate my route to get where she is as quickly as possible. For many years I delivered milk up in the area and I knew the back roads very well then. It's been over twenty years since I've taken some of the roads. I guess and try hard to remember how to go. I'm stressed and of course that makes it harder to think. I make a left onto Central Avenue from Route 202. I turn onto Railroad avenue. My gps is sending me to another bank, but I recognize the road. Foley’s, a bar? Restaurant used to be on this road. I go up and down the other side of a tall hill and the Key bank is on the left. I pull in and it takes me a minute to find her car and her. I wrap her in my arms. I knew she was alright back when I got the call, but it made it so much better to see her and just confirm it. And Mom and Dad, I’m sorry for all the anguish and fear I put you two through when I was younger and stupid and drove like a fool after drinking.

I try to get Steve’s auto body, but it’s after 5 PM. I tell the officer to get anyone. Sean arrives a few minutes later and I tell him what I’ve done. He says, “No, he’s got a guy” and he believes he can fix the car at his Dad’s shop for very cheap. He calls his guy, leaves the keys and we leave to go bowling. I was going to call it off, but Nastia looked at me and said there was no reason to call it off. We got there late. The other team had started. The Management put us on our own lanes and we were able to bowl and be by ourselves. Somewhere in the evening Nastia began to smile again. During the second game she complained about aches and pains and bowlled a 79 to prove she hurt. Everyone survived this day and even the cars were not hurt too badly. Her car will be laid up for a while. Parts must be found and then installed. Until then Teri and I and yes Sean will be carting her to and from work. Such is life. It could have been so much worse.